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Author: jordanfarren

The show takes its time to get to the main subject with some short talk at the beginning of the show before a small news update. The actual show begins with audio recording from 1992, the last time an English manager won the top flight title. Howard Wilkinson’s quotes and famous commentary take us back in time to remember what went down almost 25 years ago. They go on then to talk about how the Premier League is completely different with so many foreign managers.

They discuss in quite a serious manner, but keep it simple, having an English football manager in Steve McLaren and Harry Redknapp as well as journalist Henry Winter. The show has quite a few audio clips. They are concerned by the way English football is going.

BBC Radio 1 – Newsbeat

This Newsbeat takes a look at body image and how teenagers may feel insecure due to social media. They bring a vlogger from Youtube onto the show to talk as they feel there is too much pressure on teenagers to look good. They talk about the need to go the gym and eat less, just to impress and look good. They talk to a student from Leeds University who struggled with mental illness and even sadly tried to end her own life because she had bi-polar disease.

It’s good because it gives us an insight from the two guys who have had pressure in trying to look good, but there’s also the audio of the young girl from Leeds, she takes us with her to give us an idea of her day as she picks up here medication,

BBC Radio 2 – Jeremy Vine Show – “Do you wash your hands after using the toilet?”

Quite a strange one here where they talk about people not washing their hands when they are out and about, particularly in posher places. The first man mentions how we should was our hands before we go to the toilet, rather than after due to collecting germs along the way to the toilet. The virologist talks about the chances of picking up an infectious dose and coming down with an illness.

This is quite enjoyable and interesting and has the right people involved to give across the right idea and facts in what they think about washing hands and what damage it can possibly cause.

Talksport – Sturridge perfect for Newcastle

In what is a very short clip, Micky Gray talks on TalkSport about how Daniel Sturridge could be a perfect fit at Newcastle next season after their promotion back to the Premier League. It’s very brief and to the point, and Gray is exactly aware of what the Magpies need and is clearly excited at his opinion. It’s fairly realistic and would probably be the right fit, and the fact Gray gets his opinion across so quick, it makes really decent radio, as well as a debate among the guests and also the audience.

I think they could definitely talk about it for longer, but it is good, he’s quick to get it across and sounds buzzed by the idea of it, but they must spend some more time in talking about the prospect of the transfer.

U105 – “House prices are on the up”

U105 from Northern Ireland here has a short talk about the rise of house prices in Northern Ireland, they aren’t happy about it and the producer brings in a phone call, and the two always bring it back to their own half. People put huge amounts into new houses, new appliances and fittings as well as renovations to different rooms. It adds up. Later on it seems to get a bit heated which can bring some entertainment. But it’s quite a serious topic and many people aren’t happy about the prices being paid.

It’s quite good this piece, probably the best out of the five I have selected because the two get into quite a debate and there’s a little bit of interruption which they can’t really anticipate live, but they keep it interesting and has the listener glued to what they are debating about.

ITV News at 10 is the main news broadcast for ITV, with all of the days latest headlines in the world, bringing you live broadcasts as well as pre-recorded reports. But, how does ITV News at 10 compare to its competitors? And how do they go about reporting news?

Are ITV one-sided?
According to “The Media Blog”, 18.5 per cent of ITV News shows bias to pro-Conservative, and are behind only Sky News who show over 60 per cent.
BBC show the least bias.

I looked closely at ITV towards the end of the recent US Presidential Election. Looking at both how they reported on the eventual winner Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton. When reporting on Trump, it seemed that they only showed how he was getting into trouble while promoting his campaign. They showed him as if he was not right for the people and as thorough Trump was always causing controversy among the American people. With Hilary however, they showed how she had the support of stars like Katy Perry and Ellen DeGeneres. Hilary looked as though she was the “good guy” and Trump was the “troublemaker”.

Presenters
ITV News at 10 only has one presenter in Tom Bradby. Bradby told The Media Show on Radio 4 that he wanted to put the show back on the map as for a while it was losing viewers to BBC’s News at 10. Bradby has been key in the revamp on ITV News at 10 and he told the Standard “we can’t get distracted by the BBC.”

Embed from Getty Images
Mark Austin is another one of the main anchors on News at 10 but he is set to leave at the end of 2016, leaving Mr. Bradby as the main man when it comes to presenting the show, although he probably already is that. Bradby became the shows presenter in 2015 and has been helping lead ITV News at 10 in the right direction since.

News Stories
Despite the studio being local, ITV News at 10 leads up to your regional news channel, so not all stories are going to be based at home. For instance, a kidnapping story in Sale may not reach the top of the news if there has been a terrorist attack in France or a bombing in Syria. It’s based on International issues and not just home issues in the United Kingdom. National News such as ITV News at 10 were definitely focussed on the US Election for around half a year in the lead up, it was almost expected to be on the news every night as the battle between Trump and Clinton continually gathered momentum and more drama.

This is certainly more interesting for the viewers also, it gives them what they want to hear, rather than what they need to hear. It can be pleasing to the ear and also make it much more exciting for the viewer. It’s unusual that you would get a regional hard news story, so they keep the softer side for their regional shows like Granada Reports, or UTV Live in Northern Ireland.

The Setting
The setting for any News Broadcast is very basic, a well lit up room, with a nice backdrop easy for the eye to see. It will always look professional, but the National News channels will always have a more serious feel about them. Regional News programmes seem to be more upbeat and lively, and even feature some lighter stories involving humour. ITV News at 10 has a really serious feel to it and we can see when watching that they are trying to make us pay close attention and be interested in what they are reporting.

The Sport
Sport is probably the most popular type of news, and it now pops up more at the front of the programme when the main stories are being announced, they could even come first if someone who is British has done something big, like Lewis Hamilton winning the F1 World Championship, Rory McIlroy capturing a Masters title, or Andy Murray sealing a Wimbledon victory. Sport would have the most excitement and is usually upbeat. However a few weeks ago when the tragic plane crash in Columbia happened featuring the Chapecoense AFC players it was a sad day for the world of sport so it was featured high up on the news. Sport is the most interesting piece of news and usually, key events are happening throughout the day. But I suppose you could say that for other pieces of news like Politics.

Things have been frustrating recently for Manchester United fans, with 3 consecutive draws and just 2 home wins all season, there must be something missing at the Theatre of Dreams, but what? The side are playing extremely well but it seems United can’t hold onto what they have in games, conceding late goals to Arsenal and Everton recently.

So, if United need strengthening, where do they need to bring players in, and who could possibly be brought into the squad?

José Giménez from Atlético Madrid would be a great acquisition to the squad and would be a solid partner alongside Eric Bailly. Bailly came in this past Summer from Villarreal and has made an instant impact. Giménez has made his way into the Atlético side at 21 and could be a positive addition to the Red Devils.

Virgil Van Dijk would also do a solid job at the back. Not many players come from Celtic to the Premier League actually do well, but the Dutchman has become one of the League’s most impressive central defenders and it seems a move to a bigger club is imminent as he has been playing extremely well with Southampton.

Aymeric Laporte is another talented centre back who plays with Athletic Bilbao. The young Frenchman turned down a move to Manchester City last year to sign a new contract with the Basque club setting a release clause of £52m.

Victor Lindelöfis another name that has regularly popped up. The Swedish International has made an impact at Benfica and has recently been compared to United legend Rio Ferdinand. Lindelöf burst upon the scene last season, and has been scouted by big clubs and has been heavily linked with a move to the Red Devils.

But what do some United fans make of what’s currently going on at United?

Some United fans will feel that the attack is solid, but some chances have been wasted this season which have cost United of lots of points so early in the season. Antoine Griezmann would be the ideal signing for United if they could find the right position for him, whether that be out wide, in the number 10 or up front. His brother Théo has even teased some United fans on Twitter.

United have been playing great football and to the relief of many fans, Henrikh Mkhitaryan has found his way into the squad and has shown promising signs with two Man of the Match performances in 4 games.

Another disastrous result for #mufc. Mkhitaryan was their best attacker yet was taken off. Ibrahimovic should've made way for Rashford.

“Mkhi” has been left out of the squad for months since signing from Borussia Dortmund and when he started in the 4-0 win over Feyenoord, it felt like the fans were watching this man for the first time because it had been so long since he featured, which was the 2-1 defeat to Man City on the 10th September.

Local Derry fighter Steve Owens has a big future ahead of him after he sealed his second professional win at Akuma Fighting Championship with a 1st round TKO finish over Terry Doyle after his initial opponent Paul Lawrence withdrew.

Owens fights out of Straight Blast Gym Ireland under the leadership of John Kavanagh who has been key in the success of UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor. Kavanagh has been huge for Owens and was in his corner for his first pro fight at Real Fighting Championship in Derry back in September.

Owens said “He is the reason for the rise of MMA in Ireland, his knowledge as well, he’s just a wealth of knowledge.”

Owens’ aim is to become a UFC Champion, like his teammate McGregor, who last month made UFC history by becoming the Featherweight and Lightweight, the first man to hold two UFC titles simultaneously. Owens wants to conquer the world and wants to leave behind his own legacy.

“I’m aiming big, I’m going all the way with this. I plan on having big belts and a lot of money.”

Photo credit: Jules Gallagher

Steve is looking to get back to Derry to fight again early next year, and there could be a fight already lined up with some early trash talk between himself and Joe McColgan. McColgan calls himself “The SBG Hunter”. McColgan reckons Owens is no match for him, and said this on twitter:

@Lapxrte he's not even close to being on my level. In any of the arts, individual and mixed.

McColgan is also 2-0 in his professional career, with a notable win over SBG fighter Peter Queally at BAMMA 26 in Dublin in September. A fight with Steve Owens is appealing to any local MMA fan.

Owens is now looking to headline Real Fighting Championship 2 when it returns to Derry next year, and the Derry man only has a few words to say about it.

“It’s gonna be big” Owens said.

Owens has spent time training with McGregor, particularly in the lead up to the Notorious’ fights with Nate Diaz, and for Steve it’s great to have such a character as a teammate. He also trains with young Bellator star James Gallagher, who has a 3-0 record at 20 years old and the “Strabanimal” is also one of the next biggest prospects to have come out of SBG in Dublin.

With MMA on a severe rise in Ireland, Steve Owens is one of the names that continually pops up, and he can do it all. When moving from K1 to MMA, many were unsure whether Owens could handle the ground, bu the Derry man has plenty of experience when it comes to Jiu Jitsu as it’s where it began for him. Owens is excited about what the future holds, and is already a household name in his hometown. He became K1 European Champion back in June and has since burst upon the MMA scene in Ireland.

Manchester United are the most successful team in English League Football, winning 13 Premier Leagues since it began in 1992, and winning 20 overall. The reign of Sir Alex Ferguson saw two Champions League victories along the way as well as a treble campaign. The Fergie Era came to an end in 2013, but left us with plenty of memories.

The Chair of Landsmere Community Association, Peter Smithson, today confirmed that the area of Landsmere of Bradfield will go under construction in a project that has seen six years of fundraising and campaigning to see the area transformed.

Smithson was pleased to make the announce and see a derelict area modified. This construction provides more for the youth of the area and is a huge advancement for Landsmere.

“The project will take two months to complete and will provide play equipment, a skateboarding and scooter area, a sandpit and a covered shelter for mums and dads who are supervising their children.” Smithson said.

Children will have an area to play in Landsmere.

“At last young children from the estate will have somewhere safe to play, now and for future generations. ” Smithson finished.

UFC 205 will without doubt be the biggest UFC pay-per-view event in the company’s history since its creation in 1994. The event is full of some cracking contests, including Joanna Jedrzejczyk defending her Strawweight title against fellow Polish competitor Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Both females are undefeated and have faced eachother before in an amateur fight, where the Champion, Joanna, came out on top. Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson comes up against the new Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, which is an interesting fight for any true MMA fan. The main event see’s the reigning Lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez take on the Featherweight champ, Conor McGregor in his quest to become the first ever two weight world champion. But, what are the key things to look out for in what is surely going to be the biggest MMA event ever?

Chris Weidman will return in 10 days time 11 months after he lost his Middleweight title to Luke Rockhold. The All-American Weidman comes up against another returning top contender in Yoel Romero in what is sure to be one of the fights of the night. Weidman has a point to prove at Madison Square Garden, fighting in his hometown for the first time, he wants to get back to winning ways. Weidman is famous for dethroning Anderson Silva, after he defeated the great twice, once though was due to Silva breaking his leg in their second bout. After pulling out of his UFC 199 fight with Luke Rockhold, there is no better time for the former Champ to return to the Octagon.

There are three title bouts taking place at the Garden. One of which see’s Joanna Jedrzejczyk take on Karolina Kowalkiewicz. It’s an interesting fight as no lady has been able to stop Joanna destroying the Strawweight division so far. Claudia Gadhela came closest, but was unable to hold on to get the W. Karolina has been on a win streak of her own and most recently defeated Rose Namajunas at UFC 201 in July.

UFC commentator Jon Anik even pointed out how vicious the current champ looks in training. Will she be victorious once more at 205?

Also, Tyron Woodley defends his belt for the first time since his first round KO over Robbie Lawler. The power of Woodley may be a worry for Stephen Thompson, but “Wonderboy” himself can pop up with spectacular finishes himself, most notably his headkick against Jake Ellenberger. Instagram page “justmma” even poked some fun at Ellenberger’s comments before the fight, where he laughed at Stephen Thompson’s fighting style.

Thompson’s most recent victory came against Rory MacDonald, and both Woodley and “Wonderboy” are ready for their clash in 10 days time.

The main event see’s one man looking to make history, Conor McGregor. The Notorious was set to fight Rafael Dos Anjos back in March for the Lightweight title but after the Brazilian withdrew due to a foot injury, McGregor then went on to have a famous rivalry with Nate Diaz. Now though it’s back to business. McGregor today flies to New York for final preparation, and sets his sights on becoming the first ever two weight world Champ.

Conor has been putting in the hard work, however Eddie Alvarez is no slouch. He dispatched of Dos Anjos in the first round back in July, and has gathered up famous wins over Anthony Pettis and Gelbert Melendez. In what will be just his fifth UFC fight, Alvarez will look to make a statement and show himself as a real Champion by defending his belt for the first time.

Frankie Edgar takes on Jeremy Stephens in the UFC 205 prelims, a fight worthy of being high up on the main card. After losing to José Aldo at UFC 200, Edgar has talked about dropping down to Bantamweight and challenging Dominic Cruz. Obviously Cruz has his sights set on a fight with Cody Garbrandt then more than likely a rematch with TJ Dillashaw, but if “The Answer” Edgar does move down to the 135lbs division, he will be a top contender almost immediately.

Stephens has also been gaining a lot of confidence and has a famous win over Rafael Dos Anjos himself. He wants to challenge for that featherweight belt, but was rather embarrassed when he called out Conor McGregor at the UFC 205 press conference.

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has been on a war path him since moving up to 170lbs. At UFC 205 he takes on Kelvin Gastelum who’s fresh off a UFC 200 victory over Johnny Hendricks. Cowboy has gathered 3 wins in 2016 and now looks towards his 4th fight at Welterweight this year. Should he defeat Gastelum we could end up seeing Cerrone finally fighting Robbie Lawler which was set for UFC 205 but Lawler pulled out. Maybe we could see Cerrone come up against one of then other top contenders if he wins.

After a dominant victory of Johnny Henricks in July, TUF 17 winner Gastelum now hopes to upset Cerrone and go on himself and try and earn a title shot, but he may have to come up against one of the top contenders himself first, with Demian Maia next in line for a title shot.

5 – The last of Conor McGregor for now?

The rumour has it that win or lose, Conor McGregor will be taking a year out after UFC 205 for personal reasons. According to various Tabloid newspapers and other sources, McGregor will take time out to spend with his family and girlfriend Dee Devlin.

There have been all kinds of rumours as to what is going to happen, but first The Notorious has to focus on his fight with Alvarez. His plans where to get pictures with both belts on his shoulders should he be victorious. McGregor told Sports Illustrated “Let me see the publications with a belt on each shoulder first. Let me go onto the side of that Octagon and raise to world titles, never been done before, before talking about stripping me. Let me get the things, let me do it. ”

Dana White has said that McGregor has already broken the gate record for UFC 205 and McGregor already holds 3 of the top 5 highest pay-per-view buys in UFC history, thanks to UFC 202 vs Diaz which racked up over 1.6 million buys, UFC 196 vs Diaz with 1.6 million buys and UFC 194 where he defeated José Aldo in 13 seconds which had 1.4 million PPV buys.

After a dismal display on Sunday, confidence will be at an all time low heading into the second Manchester Derby of the season on Wednesday. The two Manchester clubs clash at Old Trafford again in the 4th round of the EFL Cup, with United looking to make a statement and City looking for their first win in 5. But, how should United start, as that’s where it seems to be going wrong in the big games this season.

The Spaniard had an off day at Stamford Bridge, but so did everyone. He’s been our stand out star by far for the last 3 campaigns, and De Gea will more than likely be given the chance on Wednesday ahead of Sergio Romero and Sam Johnstone.

Right Back – Matteo Darmian

Darmian looked bright against Fenerbahce last week, and it is understandable why he has been kept out of the side by Antonio Valencia. However, the Italian may have a good chance on Wednesday especially against a big opponent, it may be time for him to start a breakthrough and challenge Valencia when it comes to the weekend.

Centre Backs – Regan Poole and Daley Blind

Personally, after Smalling’s disastrous performance against Chelsea, I would love to see another right sided centre half given a chance. Eric Bailly looks like he has suffered a serious injury and will miss the game, and I am not a fan of having two left footed centre backs, so Wednesday would be a good chance to see the Welsh teenager perform for the first team. If not Poole, then give Axel Tuanzebe or Timothy Fosu-Mensah a chance in defence. Daley Blind was also unlike his usual self against Chelsea. Blind didn’t recover after he was caught out early against Pedro, but the Dutchman looks like he should be the best choice alongside Bailly, and will put any doubters to rest on Wednesday.

Left Back – Luke Shaw

Shaw was left out against Chelsea completely, surprising as he would have been extremely useful from the bench when Bailly was taken off injured. Shaw has got to be the first choice left back it’s as simple as and the Englishman will continue his route back to full fitness in the Derby.

It was clear how much Michael Carrick’s patience and calmness on the ball was missed at Stamford Bridge, he was almost flawless on Thursday and it really is surprising how he hasn’t been able to nail a place in the Premier League side with the likes of Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini seriously not reaching the heights. As for Herrera, he was fantastic against Liverpool and at times on Sunday showed how much he is improving, surely the Spaniard can be a future captain at United and could be the perfect fit beside Carrick on Wednesday.

Right Wing – Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Mkhitaryan surely has to be back on Wednesday. In the earlier Derby this season he was extremely poor but was nowhere near full fitness. The Armenian has been left out of the last 3 match day squads and is expected to return on Wednesday at last.

Mata did a good job against Fenerbahce and it was surprising that he was left out on Sunday especially after Pogba’s lack of creativity against Liverpool. Dropping Mata for Pogba again backfired as he failed to create a single chance against Chelsea. Hopefully Mata can make a difference on Wednesday as he deserves to be the main No.10 at United.

Left Wing – Anthony Martial

Martial was the last player to score a league goal for us, and has began to show signs of form from last season after returning to fitness. He was introduced too late against Chelsea and should easily be one of the first names on the team sheet. The Frenchman will surely be back in the side and then starting against Burnley on Saturday.

Striker – Wayne Rooney

If fit, this is something that I really want to see. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has squandered chances against Watford, Stoke, Liverpool and Chelsea, all of which would have affected the end result, for me it is time for the Swede to be dropped. The Captain looked great against Fenerbahce and it was unfortunate to see him missing against Chelsea as Herrera looked like the only leader on the pitch.